The Perfect Exchange
by ChocolateHappy
Summary: He gave the best gift a person can give, Life. Life, the gift Dustfinger gave so freely to Faird. A death for a life. This is a story about what Dustfinger is thinking and feeling before he gives away his life in what he believes is The Perfect Exchange.


**I do not own Inkheart, Inkspell, or Inkdeath. I don't own the characters and I don't even own some of the lines in my story. This takes place in Inkspell after Farid dies. Please Review, I know it needs work so tell me what needs to be better! THANKS!! :-)**

Dustfinger held in his arms the dead boy. Basta had hit where he was aiming for all long, Dustfinger's heart, his stupid heart. Basta had attacked his heart many times before, but it never hurt like this. Basta stabbed his heart and ripped it in two. He had never cut his heart so deep. When Basta had carved his scars, when he had threaten to kill Gwin, when he had held his knife up to Resa's and Roxane's throats. But those bullets had only grazed against his foolish heart. His heart that was too small for all the love that he kept hidden inside.

"You'd like him back too, wouldn't you?" Dustfinger asked breaking the silence. His face was distorted holding back all the emotions that were slipping out of his broken heart. His face had always been a shield, an impenetrable shield to keep his heart from prying eyes. Now it seemed that that stronghold had left him. He trembled.

He'll never come back." Meggie whispered. Dustfinger could sense that her strength had left her also.

"There's a story." Dustfinger said looking down. He know that if he looked into her eyes, her eyes like fallen pieces of the sky, eyes that were just like her mother's, he would see her broken heart and the emotions that he held back would come. It would be just like looking in Resa's eyes all the time they were together in Capricorn's village.

"A story about the White Women"

"What kind of a story?" Meggie asked with little interest. Dustfinger blankly looked at Farid. Farid was the closest thing Dustfinger had to a son, the closest he ever felt to being a father. He wondered why Farid had chosen him, him of all people. It didn't matter now, nothing did.

"Roxane knows it" He said. "She'll tell it to you. Just go to her…..and tell her I had to go away. Tell her I'm going to find out if the story is true." The words didn't come easy to him, they never did. The next words came out awkwardly. His heart was coming apart bit by bit. Bits of the feelings he had held back for so long came out with his words, words that seemed so new to him. His tongue felt heavy.

"And remind her of my promise, that I'll always find a way back to her, wherever I am. Will you tell her that?" What came after felt like a blur. He didn't directly answer Meggie's questions, he was afraid she would stop him or maybe he was afraid she wouldn't stop him.

"Will you go to Roxane and tell her what I have said to you?" The stupid girl, why wouldn't she leave. He wanted to let go of all his feelings, he wanted to be free, but Meggie was there so he tried to keep his face a protective shield. "Please Meggie! Tell Roxane what I have told you ----and say…..say I'm sorry." These sentimental words seemed so strange to him. It felt odd to let his heart go and bits of emotion shine through. It made him feel somehow freer of a burden and at the same time he wanted to snatch back his words and feelings and lock them back in his heart where they belonged. He had to let Roxane know how much he loved her if she didn't already understand. He had never told her so how could she know. Dustfinger was still holding back most of his emotion and kept them hidden in his heart, but they no longer felt safe there any longer. His heart was broken and open and his feelings were flying out before Dustfinger could snatch them back. He was beginning to feel vulnerable. He forced back all of his emotions back where they belonged, hidden.

"Now, off you go." He rushed her trying to stay calm, but on the inside he was unsure and afraid. He wonder what death would be like. He hoped that it would take all the pain away. He wished he could face death fearless, but the thought of death could scare the bravest man and Dustfinger was never every strong to begin with. He looked up and Meggie was gone. He let his heart pour out. He let his face show all that he usually hid: affection, love---and pain. Nothing good had ever come of his life, he only felt pain and hurt the people he loved. Now it was time to pay back for all the pain he had caused by giving back a life that could give others the opposite, joy and happiness. The perfect exchange thought Dustfinger. There would be no good byes for him, he was alone. He wrote his love's name on the wall in fire. The fire burned brightly and he hoped that the flame would be like is love and never burn out. He hoped she would understand all the things he had never said and was saying through one word. The unspoken words all gathered together to form one, Roxane. He hoped that it would be clear that above all he meant to say, I love you. He called his friend fire which always brought him peace and comfort. Now fear came with it, fear, death, and the Whit Women. He looked at Farid's dead body and mouthed the words: Thank You. Thank you for choosing me. The last thing Dustfinger saw before his eyes glazed over with death was Farid's eyes brighten back to life. A perfect exchange.


End file.
